Netflix's Below taps into Newfoundland's giant squid folklore and ocean science

The Netflix miniseries Below, about a sea monster terrorizing a Newfoundland outport, has drawn attention for its coastal setting and its links to the province's real history with giant squid. The series, which was the number one ranked show in Canada on Netflix the week after its release, features the Oceans Sciences Centre at Memorial University. Marine biologist Paul Snelgrove, who works at the centre and was raised in Newfoundland, said he was eager to see the show for both personal and professional reasons. Snelgrove said he thought to himself, "THIS I've gotta see!" Giant squid have a special place in Newfoundland folklore and science. One key figure was Irish clergyman Moses Harvey, who in the 19th century revealed the existence of giant squid to the world based on a specimen fishermen brought to him. In the 1960s, Fred Aldrich, the founding director of the Ocean Sciences Centre, focused his career on pursuing the elusive animals, though he only obtained specimens that washed ashore.

Newfoundland is a global hotspot where giant squid appear roughly every 30 years, Snelgrove noted. The Rooms provincial museum in St. John's displays a preserved specimen. In Below, a marine biologist character becomes the expert on the creature, nicknamed "Mudder" by locals. Snelgrove said the series generally did a good job on the science, with the animal's biology being reasonably plausible, including its swimming skills and ability to survive in ice. He thought the intellectual prowess and directed vindictiveness of the squid in the series pushed the limits of credibility, though researchers have documented impressive abilities in cephalopods, the group that includes giant squid. Snelgrove took a course from Aldrich in the early 1980s and said the professor's enthusiasm for giant squid was still evident. He believes Aldrich would have loved the first live footage of giant squid collected 20 years ago and would have enjoyed watching Below.

The plot also wove in Newfoundland history and culture, Snelgrove observed. It addressed the collapse of the northern cod fishery that threw some 37,000 Newfoundlanders out of work. It began with a scene about the government's resettlement of more than 28,000 residents from small coastal communities to larger centres in the 1950s and '60s. The series captured the general mistrust of government in outport communities and included a "Screeching In" ceremony.

Snelgrove said he certainly enjoyed watching Below, not just because of the Newfoundland setting but because it seemed entirely appropriate for the story, which was in some ways a homage to Newfoundland and its ocean history. He applauded the Below team for communicating the complexity of the ocean and its many unknowns. The series showed the ongoing potential for ocean exploration, where scientists discover thousands of new marine species every year. Given the show's success, Snelgrove suggested Hollywood might see potential in telling exciting stories that bring the ocean into living rooms. That focus could inspire a new generation of scientists. He noted that watching films like Jaws and Orca as a teen helped push his career interests towards the ocean.

With files from The Conversation